Washing machine having circulation nozzles

ABSTRACT

A washing machine includes a casing having an input port which is formed in a front surface thereof and to which laundry is inputted; a tub which is disposed in the casing to contain fluid, and has an opening communicating with the input port; a drum which is rotatably disposed in the tub, and contains the laundry; a pump which pumps water discharged from the tub; a circulation conduit which guides the water pumped by the pump; an annular gasket which forms a channel connecting the input port and the opening of the tub, and has a plurality of nozzles for spraying water into the drum on an inner circumferential surface defining the channel; and a nozzle water supply conduit which is fixed to the gasket, and supplies the water pumped by the pump to the plurality of nozzles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/186,321, filed on Nov. 9, 2018, which claims the priority benefit ofKorean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0148922, filed on Nov. 9, 2017 inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a washing machine, and moreparticularly, to a washing machine having a nozzle that discharges watercirculated along a nozzle water supply conduit discharged from a tubinto a drum.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a washing machine is an apparatus that separates contaminantsfrom clothing, bedding, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as “laundry”) byusing physical action such as chemical decomposition of water anddetergent and friction between water and laundry.

Such a washing machine includes a tub containing water and a drumrotatably installed in the tub to accommodate the laundry. A recentwashing machine is configured to circulate water discharged from the tubby using a circulation pump and to spray the circulated water(hereinafter referred to as “circulating water”) into the drum through anozzle.

Korean Patent Publication No. KR20100106260A (hereinafter, referred toas '260 patent) discloses a washing machine having two circulationnozzles on a gasket. Two water conduits are provided in correspondencewith the two circulation nozzles. That is, the '260 patent discloses astructure in which a plurality of circulation nozzles are provided and asingle circulation nozzle is connected to a single water supply conduit(i.e., a structure in which circulating water is supplied to thecirculation nozzles by using the same number of water supply conduits asthe number of circulation nozzles). Such a structure has a problem inthat the number of the water supply conduits is also increased as thenumber of the circulation nozzles is increased so that a flow pathstructure is complicated.

Japan Patent Registration No. JP5671687B (hereinafter, referred to as'687 patent) discloses a structure in which a plurality of circulationnozzles are formed in a tub. Circulating water is guided along a singlecommon flow path (nozzle water path) so that a flow path configurationis simplified, but the circulation nozzle and the nozzle water path areprovided in a rear surface of a front portion (front portion where anopening is formed) of the tub (water tank 2). Such a structure isdifficult to apply to a washing machine having a narrow gap between thetub and the drum.

In addition, in the '687 patent, a nozzle water path formed as aseparate component from the tub is coupled to the rear surface of thefront portion of the tub to form a flow path between the rear surface ofthe front portion and the nozzle water path. In this case, there is ahygienic problem in that a foreign matter is caught in a gap between therear surface of the front portion and the nozzle water path.

In addition, in the '687 patent, since the nozzle water path is disposedin the tub, in order to connect a pump disposed outside the tub to thenozzle water path through a circulation water path, it is inevitablynecessary to perforate the tub so that the circulation water path canpass through the tub. In this case, it is necessary to thoroughly seal aspace between a perforated hole and the circulation water path. However,considering that the tub is a vibrating body, it is difficult tomaintain such a sealed state for a long time, which may adversely affectthe durability of a product.

Korean Patent Publication No. KR20040012600A (hereinafter, referred toas '600 patent) discloses a structure in which an annular flow path isformed on a rear surface of a door, and water supplied through the flowpath is sprayed into the drum through a plurality of nozzles. Theannular flow path is not for spraying the water circulated by the pumpbut for spraying the raw water supplied through a water supply flow pathinto the drum.

Although it is possible to consider connecting the annular flow path ofthe '600 patent to the circulation pump, in this case, when the door isclosed, the annular flow path should be connected to the pump throughthe flow path, but when the door is opened, the flow path should beseparated. That is, the flow path connecting the annular flow path andthe pump should be connected/disconnected according to theopening/closing operation of the door. However, in this case, it isdifficult to water-tighten a coupling part in which the flow path isconnected/disconnected in a closed state of the door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first object of the present invention is to provide a washing machineprovided with a nozzle water supply conduit, formed in a gasket, forsupplying circulation water to four or more nozzles provided on an innercircumferential surface of the gasket. In particular, the nozzle watersupply conduit includes a first conduit portion and a second conduitportion branched into both sides from the circulation conduit connectingport connected to a circulation conduit for guiding water pumped by apump. At least two of the four or more nozzles are supplied withcirculating water through the first conduit portion, and at least othertwo are supplied with circulating water through the second conduitportion. Since the two or more nozzles are supplied with water throughone common conduit portion. Since two or more nozzles are supplied withwater through a single common conduit portion, the structure of a flowpath is simple in comparison with a case where a plurality of nozzlesare supplied with water through a plurality of conduits (flow paths).

Another object of the present invention is to dispose the first conduitportion and the second conduit portion in the outside of the gasket,thereby preventing the outer surface of the first conduit portion or thesecond conduit portion from being contaminated due to the detergentwater applied to the tub or the drum, and improving hygiene.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method ofsupplying circulating water from the first and second conduit portionspositioned outside the gasket to the nozzles positioned on the innercircumferential surface of the gasket. A plurality of nozzle watersupply ports are formed in the first conduit portion and the secondconduit portion, a plurality of hollows are formed in the gasket in thethickness direction of the gasket so as to communicate with theplurality of nozzles, and the plurality of nozzle water supply ports areinserted into the plurality of hollows respectively, so that thecirculation water can be supplied to the plurality of nozzles from theplurality of nozzle water supply ports

A further object of the present invention is to provide a washingmachine in which the nozzle water conduit is not easily detached fromthe gasket. The first conduit portion and the second conduit portion areextended in the opposite direction from the circulation conduitconnecting port, while extending along the circumference of the gasketupwardly. The first conduit portion and the second conduit portion forma Y-shape, and the portions divided into both sides enclose the outercircumferential surface of the gasket. In this state, since the nozzlewater supply ports protruded from the first conduit portion and thesecond conduit portion are inserted into the gasket from the outside,when the nozzle water supply port formed in either one of the firstconduit portion and the second conduit portion is attempted to beseparated from the port insertion conduit of the gasket, the nozzlewater supply port formed in the other side moves in the oppositedirection and enters the port insertion conduit deeper so that thecoupling with the gasket is further tightened, thereby preventing thenozzle water supply conduit from being detached from the gasket. Inparticular, even when the soft gasket is distorted, the nozzle watersupply conduit is not easily detached.

Further, the portion of the Y-shaped structure that is branched from thecirculation conduit connecting port to the first conduit portion and thesecond conduit portion is formed to be relatively soft with respect tothe soft circulation conduit (a configuration which connects the pumpand the circulation water connection port), and the deformation due tothe external force (e.g. the vibration of the tub) lower than the forcecausing the plastic deformation (permanent deformation) is restored toits original state. Thus, the deformation (the first conduit portion andthe second conduit portion are separated) and the restoration (the firstconduit portion and the second conduit portion are returned to theoriginal shape) are repeated during the vibration process of the tub.Hence, the gasket is not easily detached from the gasket.

A further object of the present invention is to provide the firstconduit portion and the second conduit portion constituting the nozzlewater supply conduit between a balancing weight and the gasket. Evenwhen the gasket is vibrated or deformed so that the first conduitportion and the second conduit portion are to be separated from thegasket, the balancing weight is brought into contact with the firstconduit portion and/or the second conduit portion from the outside toprevent the nozzle water supply conduit from being detached. A pair ofthe balancing weight may be provided in correspondence with the firstconduit portion and the second conduit portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a part of the washingmachine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of an assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a nozzle water supply conduitinstalled in a gasket;

FIG. 6 is a view of the gasket shown in FIG. 5 from a different angle;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a nozzle water supply conduit;

FIG. 8 is a rear view of a state in which a nozzle water supply conduitis installed in the gasket;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IX-IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line X-X of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a part of a washing machine according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods forachieving them will be made clear from the embodiments described belowin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The presentinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventionto those skilled in the art. The present invention is defined only bythe scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout the specification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view ofthe washing machine shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a partial perspectiveview showing a part of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is afront view of an assembly shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective viewshowing a nozzle water supply conduit installed in a gasket. FIG. 6 is aview of the gasket shown in FIG. 5 from a different angle. FIG. 7 is aperspective view of a nozzle water supply conduit. FIG. 8 is a rear viewof a state in which a nozzle water supply conduit is installed in thegasket. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IX-IX ofFIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line X-X of FIG.8.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a washing machine according to anembodiment of the present invention includes a casing 10 which forms anouter appearance, a tub 30 which is disposed in the casing 10 and storesfluid, a drum 40 which is rotatably installed in the tub 30 and intowhich laundry is inputted, and a motor 50 which rotates the drum 40.

A front panel 11 provided with an input port 12 is disposed on a frontsurface of the casing 10, and, on the front panel 11, a door 20 foropening and closing the input port 12 is disposed and a dispenser 14into which detergent is dispensed may be installed. The casing 10 may beprovided with a control panel 13 for receiving a command for operatingthe washing machine.

A water supply valve 15, a water supply conduit 16, and a water supplyhose 17 may be installed in the casing 10. The fluid that passed throughthe water supply valve 15 and the water supply conduit 16 during watersupply may be mixed with the detergent in the dispenser 14, and thensupplied to the tub 30 through the water supply hose 17.

Meanwhile, a direct water supply conduit 18 is connected to the watersupply valve 15 so that the fluid can be directly supplied into the tub30 through the direct water supply conduit 18 without being mixed withthe detergent. A direct water nozzle 19 for spraying the water suppliedthrough the direct water supply conduit 18 into the drum 40 may beprovided.

At least one nozzle water supply conduit 80 for guiding water pumped bya pump 70 is provided. The pump 70 is connected to the tub 30 through adischarge hose 72, and the nozzle supply conduit 80 and the pump 70 maybe connected directly or through a circulation conduit 86.

The circulation conduit 86 may be made of an amorphous soft material.That is, the circulation conduit 86 can be deformed by an external forceand may be made of rubber or soft synthetic resin (or deformablematerial).

The nozzle water supply conduit 80 may include a circulation conduitconnecting port 81 through which water discharged from the pump 70 flowsinto, a transfer conduit 82 which guides water introduced through thecirculation conduit connecting port 81, and a plurality of nozzle watersupply ports 83, 84 branched from the transfer conduit 82.

The nozzle water supply conduit 80 is fixed to a gasket 60. In somecases, it is not possible to spray water into the drum 40 even when anozzle is installed in the tub 40 due to various structural reasons suchas a case where, in particular, the front end (i.e., the opening of thedrum 40) of the drum 40 is located close to the opening of the tub 30(e.g., a structure in which the opening of the drum 40 is located in thesame plane as the opening of the tub 30, or protrudes forward throughthe opening of the tub 30), and further, the opening of the drum 40 islocated inside the opening of the tub 30 when viewed from the front.Therefore, it is preferable that the nozzle 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, and 66 dis formed in the gasket 60 which does not have an obstacle to thespraying of water into the drum 40, and the nozzle water supply conduit80 for supplying water to the nozzle is also installed in the gasket 60.

The pump 70 may be located below the tub 30. The pump 70 may be fixed ona base 101 forming the bottom of the casing 10. The pump 70 may includea pump casing which forms a chamber into which water discharged throughthe discharge hose 72 is introduced from the tub 30, an impeller whichis rotatably installed in the pump casing, and a pump motor whichrotates the impeller. In the pump casing, an input port connected to thedischarge hose 72 is communicated with the chamber, and a circulationport and a drain port that discharge water pumped by the impeller may beformed. The circulation port may be connected to the circulation conduit86, and the drain port may be connected to a discharge conduit 74.

The water in the chamber may be selectively supplied to the circulationport or the drain port according to the rotation direction of theimpeller. That is, when the impeller rotates in the forward direction,the fluid is discharged through the circulation port, and when theimpeller rotates in the reverse direction, the fluid may be dischargedthrough the drain port. Since a method of implementing circulation ordrain of water according to the rotation direction of the impeller whileusing a single pump is well known, a further explanation will beomitted.

The pump motor may be a variable speed motor capable of controlling therotation speed and may be a brushless direct current motor (BLDC) motor.Obviously, the rotation direction of the BLDC motor can also becontrolled.

The above described pump 70 serves as a circulation pump circulating thefluid and a drain pump discharging the fluid to the outside.Alternatively, the circulation pump and the drain pump may be separatelyprovided. When the circulation pump and the drain pump are separatelyprovided, it is obvious that the drain conduit 74 is connected to thedrain pump and the circulation conduit 86 is connected to thecirculation pump.

Meanwhile, the tub 30 may be formed as a single tub body, or may beformed by fastening first and second tub bodies 30 a and 30 b to eachother. In an embodiment of the present invention, it is illustrated thatthe first and second tub bodies 30 a and 30 b are fastened to form thetub 30. Hereinafter, the first tub body 30 a will be referred to simplyas a ‘tub 30’.

An opening part 32 is formed in the front surface 32 of the tub 30 so asto correspond to the input port 12 formed in the front panel 11 formingthe front surface of the casing 10. The gasket 60 is disposed betweenthe rim of the input port 12 of the front panel 11 and the rim of thetub 30 forming the opening part 32. The gasket 60 is formed of aflexible material such as rubber and has a substantially cylindricalshape.

The front edge of the gasket 60 is connected to the rim of the inputport 12 of the front panel 11, and the rear edge of the gasket 60 isconnected to the rim of the opening part of the tub 30 so that a gapbetween the tub 30 and the front panel 11 is sealed. When the door 20 isclosed, the door 20 and the front end of the gasket 60 come into closecontact with each other and a gap between the door 20 and the gasket 60is sealed so that the leakage of the fluid is prevented.

In more detail, referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the gasket 60 mayinclude a casing coupling portion 610 coupled to circumference of theinput port 12 of the casing 10, a tub coupling portion 610 coupled tocircumference of the opening of the tub 30, and an extension portion 650extended from between the casing coupling portion 610 and the tubcoupling portion 620.

Each of the casing coupling portion 610 and the tub coupling portion 620is formed in an annular shape. The extension portion 650 may have anannular rear end portion connected to the tub coupling portion 620 froman annular front end portion connected to the casing coupling portion610, and may be formed in a tubular shape extended from the front end tothe rear end.

In the front panel 11 of the casing 10, the circumference of the inputport 12 is curled outward, and the casing coupling portion 610 may befitted in a concave portion formed by the curled portion.

An annular groove 611 through which a wire is wound may be formed in thecasing coupling portion 610. After the wire is wound along the groove611, the both ends of the wire are bounded so that the casing couplingportion 610 is firmly fixed to the circumference of the input port 12.

The circumference of the opening of the tub 30 is curled outward, andthe tub coupling portion 620 is fitted into a concave portion formed bythe curled portion. An annular groove 621 through which a wire is woundmay be formed in the tub coupling portion 620. After the wire is woundalong the groove 621, the both ends of the wire are bounded so that thetub coupling portion 620 is firmly coupled to the circumference of theopening of the tub 30.

Meanwhile, the casing coupling portion 610 is fixed to the front panel11, but the tub coupling portion 620 is displaced according to themovement of the tub 30. Therefore, the extension portion 650 should bedeformable in response to the displacement of the tub coupling portion620. In order to facilitate such deformation, in the gasket 60, a foldedportion 640 which is folded as the tub 30 is moved in the direction (orradial direction) in which the tub 30 is moved by the eccentricity maybe formed in a section (or an extension portion 650) between the casingcoupling portion 610 and the tub coupling portion 620.

Specifically, the extension portion 650 may include a cylindrical rimportion 630 extended rearward from the casing coupling portion 610, andthe folded portion 640 formed between the rim portion 630 and the tubcoupling portion 620.

The gasket 60 may further include a door close portion 615 which is bentinward from the front end of the rim portion 630 and brought into closecontact with the rear surface of the door 20 in the inside of the inputport 12 in a state in which the door 20 is closed.

Meanwhile, the drum 40 is vibrated (i.e., the rotation center line C(see FIG. 2) of the drum 40 is moved) during a rotation process, andthus, the center line (approximately, the same as the rotation centerline C of the drum 40) of the tub 30 is also moved. At this time, themoving direction (hereinafter, referred to as “eccentric direction”) hasa radial component.

The folded portion 640 is folded or unfolded when the tub 30 moves inthe eccentric direction. The folded portion 640 may include an innerdiameter portion 642 which is bent from the rim portion 630 toward thecasing coupling portion 610 and an outer diameter portion 644 which isbent from the inner diameter portion 642 toward the tub coupling portion620, and coupled to tub coupling portion 620. When the center of the tub30 is moved in the eccentric direction, if a part of the folded portion640 is folded, a gap between the inner diameter portion 642 and theouter diameter portion 644 is reduced at a folded portion, whereas thegap between the inner diameter portion 642 and the outer diameterportion 644 is increased at the other portion where the folded portion640 is unfolded.

A first seating groove 67 a and a second seating groove 67 b extendedalong the circumferential direction may be formed on an outercircumferential surface 61 of the gasket 60. The first seating groove 67a and the second seating groove 67 b are formed in both sides of apassage 60 p of the gasket 60, and are preferably symmetrical. At leasta part of a first conduit portion 82 a may be seated in the firstseating groove 67 a and at least a part of a second conduit portion 82 bmay be seated in the second seating groove 67 b.

Referring to FIG. 10, the cross-section of at least one of the firstconduit portion 82 a and the second conduit portion 82 b may have ashape in which the height h defined in the radial direction of thegasket 60 is smaller than the width w defined in the longitudinaldirection of the passage 60P of the gasket 60.

The first seating groove 67 a and the second seating groove 67 b may beformed in the outer diameter portion 644 of the gasket 60. Thedeformation of the gasket 60 in the folded portion 640 is mainlyaccomplished at a portion where the inner diameter portion 642 and theouter diameter portion 644 meet. Even if the vibration of the tub 30occurs, the outer diameter portion 644 mainly performs translationmotion, but it is not easily deformed (e.g., distorted) and maintains astable shape.

Therefore, by forming the first and second seating grooves 67 a and 67 bin the outer diameter portion 644, even if the vibration of the tub 30is generated, the shape of the first and second seating grooves 67 a and67 b can be maintained, and thus, the first conduit portion 82 a and thesecond conduit portion 82 b can be stably retained.

At least one balancing weight 90 may be fastened to the front surface 32of the tub 30. The balancing weight 90 is fixed to the tub 30, and maybe disposed in both sides of the opening of the tub 30 respectively. Afirst balancing weight 90 a may be disposed in the left side of a frontsurface 31, and a second balancing weight 90 b may be disposed in theright side of the front surface 31. The first conduit portion 82 a maybe disposed between the gasket 60 and the first balancing weight 90 a.The second conduit portion 82 b may be disposed between the gasket 60and the second balancing weight 90 b.

The circulation conduit connecting port 81 may be disposed between thefirst balancing weight 90 a and the second balancing weight 90 b.Specifically, the lower end of the first balancing weight 90 a and thelower end of the second balancing weight 90 b are spaced apart in theleft-right direction, and the circulation conduit connecting port 81extends downward from the transfer conduit 82 to reach within a spaceddistance. In the structure in which the balancing weights 90 a and 90 bare disposed in both sides, the circulation conduit connecting port 81and the circulation conduit 86 may be connected to each other by usingthe spaced distance. The circulation conduit connecting port 81 may belocated such that an inlet which is connected to the circulation conduit86 is located below an outlet which discharges water to the firstconduit portion 82 a and the second conduit portion 82 b.

The nozzle water supply conduit 80 includes the circulation conduitconnecting port 81, the transfer conduit 82, a plurality of first nozzlewater supply ports 84 a and 84 b, and a plurality of second nozzle watersupply ports 84 c and 84 d. The circulation conduit connecting port 81is connected to the circulation conduit 86. The circulation conduitconnecting port 81 may be located below the tub 30. Preferably, thecirculation conduit connecting port 81 is located below any of the firstnozzle water supply ports 84 a, 84 b, and the second nozzle water supplyports 84 c, 84 d.

Water discharged from the pump 70 flows into the circulation conduitconnecting port 81. The circulation conduit connecting port 81 may beconnected to the pump 70 by the circulation conduit 86.

The transfer conduit 82 is disposed in the outer circumference of thegasket 60. The transfer conduit 82 branches the water discharged fromthe circulation conduit connecting port 81 to a first sub-flow f1 and asecond sub-flow f2. The transfer conduit 82 includes a first conduitportion 82 a which is branched in a first direction from the circulationconduit connecting port 81 and extends upward along the circumference ofthe gasket 60 and guides the first sub-flow f1, and a second conduitportion 82 b which is branched in a second direction from thecirculation conduit connecting port 81 and extends upwardly along thecircumference of the gasket 60 from the opposite side of the first ductportion 82 a about the gasket 60 and guides the second sub-flow f2.

One ends of the first conduit portion 82 a and the second conduitportion 82 b are connected to the circulation conduit connecting port81, and the other ends thereof are closed. The first conduit portion 82a and the second conduit portion 82 b are extended from the circulationconduit connecting port 81 to the opposite side (i.e., both left andright sides in the drawing) and extended respectively along thecircumference (or, the shape corresponding to the circumference of thegasket 60) of the gasket 60. The other end of the first conduit portion82 a and the other end of the second conduit portion 82 b are positionedin the opposite side to each other based on the gasket 60.

In the embodiment, the transfer conduit 82 is formed integrally with thecirculation conduit connecting port 81, but is not necessarily limitedthereto. The first conduit portion 82 a, the second conduit portion 82b, and the circulation conduit connecting port 81 may be molded into aseparate part, and then, the first conduit portion 82 a and the secondconduit portion 82 b may be connected (coupled) to both sides of thecirculation conduit connecting port 81.

The transfer conduit 82 may be made of hard material in comparison withthe circulation conduit 86. The transfer conduit 82 may be made ofhigh-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP).

Meanwhile, the area of a cross-section of flow path (a cross-section ofthe path guiding the water) of the transfer path 82 may be graduallyreduced from the lower portion of the transfer path 82 to the upperportion. The width of the cross-section of the flow path may begradually decreased from the lower portion of the transfer path 82 tothe upper portion.

Since the cross section of the flow path becomes narrower toward theupper side, the flow velocity may be increased, and the water pressuredrop due to the position rise can be compensated by the increase of flowvelocity so that the upper nozzle 66 a, 66 c can uniformly spray waterwith the same water pressure as the lower nozzle 66 b, 66 d.

Meanwhile, a first upper nozzle 66 a receiving water through the firstconduit portion 82 a may spray water downward toward the inside of thedrum 40, and a first lower nozzle 66 b receiving water through the firstconduit portion 82 a may spray water upward toward the inside of thedrum 40.

Similarly, the second upper nozzle 66 c, which receives water throughthe second conduit portion 82 b, may spray water downward toward theinside of the drum 40, and the second lower nozzle 66 d, which receiveswater through the second conduit portion 82 b, may spray water upwardtoward the inside of the drum 40.

The lower nozzle 66 b, 66 d, which is positioned in a relatively lowposition to achieve a water supply at a high pressure, sprays waterupward, and the upper nozzle 66 a, 66 c, which is positioned in arelatively high position to achieve a water supply at a low pressure, sothat the spray pressures of the upper nozzle 66 a, 66 c and the lowernozzle 66 b, 66 d can be substantially uniform.

The plurality of nozzle water supply ports 83 and 84 are branched fromthe transfer conduit 82, respectively. The circulating water (i.e., thewater pumped by the pump 70) transferred along the transfer conduit 82is discharged through the plurality of nozzle water supply ports 83 and84. These nozzle water supply ports 83 and 84 are branched from thetransfer conduit 82 at the upper side of the circulation conduitconnecting port 81. That is, the inlet of the nozzle water supply port83, 84 (i.e., the portion where the nozzle water supply port 83, 84 isconnected to the transfer conduit 82) is positioned above the outlet ofthe circulation conduit connecting port 81 (i.e., the portion where thecirculation conduit connecting port 81 is connected to the transferconduit 82).

Hereinafter, among the plurality of nozzle water supply ports 83 and 84,one formed in the first conduit portion 82 a is referred to as a firstnozzle water supply port 84 a and 84 b, and one formed in the secondconduit portion 82 b is referred to as a second nozzle water supply port84 c and 84 d. In the present embodiment, two first nozzle water supplyports 84 a and 84 b and two second nozzle water supply ports 84 c and 84d are provided, but the number of the nozzle water supply ports 84 a, 84b, 84 c and 84 d is not limited thereto.

In addition, according to the embodiment, one nozzle water supply portmay be formed in one of the first conduit portion 82 a and the secondconduit portion 82 b, and a plurality of nozzle water supply ports maybe formed in the other conduit portion.

In addition, hereinafter, among two nozzle water supply ports 83 and 84positioned at different heights on one conduit portion 82 a, 82 b, onepositioned in a lower side is referred to as a lower nozzle water supplyport 83, and one positioned above the lower nozzle water supply port 83is referred to as an upper nozzle water supply port 84. In theembodiment, a first upper nozzle water supply port 84 a and a firstlower nozzle water supply port 84 b are formed in the first conduitportion 82 a, and a second upper nozzle water supply port 84 c and asecond lower nozzle water supply port 84 d are formed in the secondconduit portion 82 b.

The transfer conduit 82 is disposed outside the passage 60P defined bythe gasket 60, and the nozzle 66 a, 66 b, 66 c and 66 d is formed on theinner circumferential surface of the gasket 60 defining the passage 60P.A plurality of hollows 60 h are formed in the gasket in the thicknessdirection of the gasket 60 so as to communicate with the plurality ofnozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c and 66 d, respectively. The circulating wateris supplied to the nozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, and 66 d by inserting theplurality of nozzle water supply ports 84 a, 84 b, 84 c, and 84 d to theplurality of hollows 60 h.

Referring to FIG. 10, each of the nozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c and 66 dincludes a nozzle inflow conduit 661 which is protruded from the innercircumferential surface of the gasket 60 and a nozzle head 662 whichcommunicates with the nozzle inflow conduit 661. The nozzle inflowconduit 661 is preferably protruded from the inner circumferentialsurface of the extension portion 650. More preferably, the nozzle inflowconduit 661 is protruded from the inner circumferential surface of theouter diameter portion 644. Meanwhile, a port insertion conduit 64 a, 64b, 64 c, and 64 d may be protruded from the outer circumferentialsurface of the outer diameter portion 644. The water discharged from thenozzle water supply port 84 a, 84 b, 84 c and 84 d is guided to thenozzle head 662 through the nozzle inflow conduit 661 to be sprayed.

The first to fourth port insertion conduits 64 a, 64 b, 64 c and 64 dmay be protruded in the outer direction of the gasket 60 on the outercircumferential surface 61 of the gasket 60 so as to correspond to thefour nozzle water supply ports 83 and 84 respectively, and the fournozzle water supply ports 83 and 84 may be inserted and connected to thefirst to fourth port insertion conduits 64 a, 64 b, 64 c and 64 drespectively. The port insertion conduits 64 a, 64 b, 64 c and 64 d arein communication with the nozzle inflow conduit 661 and define thehollow 60 h together with the nozzle inflow conduit 661.

The inner circumferential surface 62 of the gasket 60 is provided withfirst to fourth nozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, and 66 d communicating withthe first to fourth port insertion conduits 64 a, 64 b, 64 c, and 64 d,respectively. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first tofourth nozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, and 66 d are integrally formed with thegasket 60. Alternatively, the nozzles may be formed of a separatecomponent from the gasket 60 and may be connected to the gasket 60, ormay be connected to the first to fourth port insertion conduits 64 a, 64b, 64 c, and 64 d through a separate flow path connecting member (notshown) in a state of being separated from the gasket 60.

The nozzles 61 a, 66 b, 66 c, and 66 d may be provided in both sidesbased on the gasket 60, and are, preferably, disposed symmetrically withrespect to a vertical plane OV passing through the center of the gasket60. Hereinafter, when viewed from the front, the nozzle 66 a, 66 bdisposed in the left side with respect to the vertical plane OV isreferred to as a first nozzle 66 a, 66 b, one of the two first nozzles66 a and 66 b, which is positioned in a relatively upper side, isreferred to as a first upper nozzle 66 a, and the other, which ispositioned in a lower side, is referred to as a first lower nozzle 66 b.

Similarly, the nozzle 66 c, 66 d disposed in the right side (or a secondarea) with respect to the vertical plane OV is referred to as a secondnozzle 66 c, 66 d, one of the two second nozzles 66 c and 66 d, which ispositioned in a relatively upper side, is referred to as a second uppernozzle 66 c, and the other, which is positioned in a lower side, isreferred to as a second lower nozzle 66 d.

Based on a vertical plane OV to which the center C of the drum 40belongs, when dividing the vertical plane into left and right sides todefine a first area and a second area, the first upper nozzle 66 a maybe disposed in the first area to spray water downward toward the secondarea. In addition, the second upper nozzle 66 c may be disposed in thesecond area to spray water downward toward the first area.

The first lower nozzle 66 b may be disposed, below the first and secondupper nozzles, in the first area and may spray water upward toward thesecond area. In addition, the second lower nozzle 66 d may be disposed,below the first and second upper nozzles, in the second area to spraywater upward toward the first area.

First to fourth protrusions 65 a to 65 d may protrude from the innercircumferential surface 62 of the gasket 60 toward the inside of thegasket 60, and the first to fourth nozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, and 66 dmay be formed in the protrusions 65 a to 65 d respectively. Therefore,the circulating water discharged through the nozzle water supply ports83 and 84 may be sprayed into the drum 40 through the first to fourthnozzles 66 a, 66 b, 66 c and 66 d.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and the numberof the port insertion conduit 64, the protrusion 65, and the nozzle 66,as well as the number of the nozzle water supply ports 84, can bechanged, and the positions where they are formed can also be changed.FIG. 11 illustrates a part of a washing machine according to anotherembodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the same referencenumerals are assigned to the same components as those in theabove-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omittedherein.

Referring to FIG. 11, the washing machine according to anotherembodiment of the present invention is a washer-and-dryer having afunction of blowing air into the tub 30. Such a washing machine includesa drying duct (not shown) for guiding air discharged from the tub 30, aheater (not shown) for heating the air in the drying duct, and an airblowing fan (not shown) for blowing the air in the drying duct (notshown).

The gasket 60 may include an air supply duct 69 communicating with thedrying duct and supplying the air blown by the air blowing fan into thetub 30. The air supply duct 69 may be positioned between a closed upperend of the first duct portion 82 a and a closed upper end of the secondduct portion 82 b. The air supply duct 69 protrudes outward from theouter circumferential surface of the gasket 60.

The upper end of the first conduit portion 82 a is not connected to theupper end of the first conduit portion 82 b (i.e., a structure in whichthe transfer conduit 82 forms an annular shape), but the upper end ofthe first conduit portion 82 a is closed, the upper end of the secondconduit portion 82 b is closed, and there exists a gap between theclosed upper ends, so that the air supply duct 69 may be disposed in thegap.

Hereinabove, although the present invention has been described withreference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, thepresent invention is not limited thereto, but may be variously modifiedand altered by those skilled in the art to which the present inventionpertains without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention claimed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A washing machine comprising: a casing having acasing opening defined at a front surface thereof; a tub located in thecasing and configured to receive water, the tub defining a tub openingthat communicates with the casing opening; a drum located in the tub andconfigured to rotate relative to the tub; a pump configured to supply,to the tub, water discharged from the tub; a gasket having an innercircumferential surface that defines a channel that extends between thecasing opening and the tub opening; a plurality of nozzles located atthe inner circumferential surface of the gasket and configured to spraywater into the drum; a plurality of port insertion conduits thatprotrude from an outer circumferential surface of the gasket andcommunicate with the plurality of nozzles, respectively; a nozzle watersupply conduit disposed outside of the gasket; and a circulation conduitthat connects the pump to the nozzle water supply conduit, wherein thenozzle water supply conduit comprises: an inlet port connected to thecirculation conduit, a transfer conduit comprising: a first conduitportion that extends upward from the inlet port along the outercircumferential surface of the gasket and that is located at a firstside of the gasket, and a second conduit portion that extends upwardfrom the inlet port along the outer circumferential surface of thegasket and that is located at a second side of the gasket, a pluralityof first nozzle water supply ports that protrude from the first conduitportion to the gasket and that are inserted into the plurality of portinsertion conduits located at the first side of the gasket, and aplurality of second nozzle water supply ports that protrude from thesecond conduit portion to the gasket and that are inserted into theplurality of port insertion conduits located at the second side of thegasket.
 2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the first side of thegasket is opposite to the second side of the gasket with respect to acenter of the gasket.
 3. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein each ofthe first conduit portion and the second conduit portion has a first endconnected to the inlet port, and a second end that is closed.
 4. Thewashing machine of claim 3, wherein the second end of the first conduitportion is located at the first side of the gasket, and wherein thesecond end of the second conduit portion is positioned at the secondside of the gasket.
 5. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein thegasket defines a plurality of hollow portions that pass through thegasket in a thickness direction of the gasket from the outercircumferential surface of the gasket, the plurality of hollow portionsextending to the plurality of nozzles, respectively, and wherein each ofthe plurality of hollow portions extends to one of the plurality of portinsertion conduits and receives one of the plurality of first nozzlewater supply ports or one of the plurality of second nozzle water supplyports.
 6. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectionalshape of the first conduit portion or the second conduit portion has aheight defined in a radial direction of the gasket and a width definedin a longitudinal direction of the channel of the gasket, the widthbeing greater than the height of the cross-sectional shape.
 7. Thewashing machine of claim 1, further comprising: a first balancing weightcoupled to the tub and disposed at a first side of the tub opening; anda second balancing weight coupled to the tub and disposed at a secondside of the tub opening opposite to the first side of the tub opening,wherein the first conduit portion is positioned between the gasket andthe first balancing weight, and wherein the second conduit portion ispositioned between the gasket and the second balancing weight.
 8. Thewashing machine of claim 7, wherein the inlet port is positioned betweenthe first balancing weight and the second balancing weight.
 9. Thewashing machine of claim 8, wherein the pump is located vertically belowthe tub, and wherein the inlet port defines: an inlet configured toconnect to the circulation conduit; and an outlet positioned verticallyabove the inlet and connected to the first conduit portion and thesecond conduit portion.
 10. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein thegasket comprises: a casing coupling portion coupled to a circumferenceof the casing that defines the casing opening; a tub coupling portioncoupled to a portion of the tub that defines the tub opening; and anextension portion that extends from the casing coupling portion to thetub coupling portion, and wherein each of the plurality of nozzlescomprises: a nozzle inflow conduit that protrudes from an innercircumferential surface of the extension portion and that is incommunication with one of the port insertion conduits, and a nozzle headconnected to the nozzle inflow conduit and configured to spray, into thedrum, water supplied through the nozzle inflow conduit.
 11. The washingmachine of claim 10, wherein the extension portion of the gasketcomprises: a cylindrical rim portion that extends from the casingcoupling portion; and a folded portion located between the cylindricalrim portion and the tub coupling portion, the folded portion beingconfigured to deform according to movement of the tub, wherein thefolded portion comprises: an inner diameter portion that is bent fromthe cylindrical rim portion toward the casing coupling portion, and anouter diameter portion that is bent from the inner diameter portiontoward the tub coupling portion, wherein each of the plurality of portinsertion conduits protrudes from an outer circumferential surface ofthe outer diameter portion, and wherein the nozzle inflow conduitprotrudes from an inner circumferential surface of the outer diameterportion.
 12. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the transferconduit defines a flow path having a cross-sectional area that decreasesfrom a lower portion of the transfer conduit toward an upper portion ofthe transfer conduit.
 13. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein awidth of the flow path decreases from the lower portion of the transferconduit toward the upper portion of the transfer conduit, the widthbeing defined in a longitudinal direction of the channel of the gasket.14. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the pump comprises avariable speed motor.
 15. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein theinlet port protrudes radially outward relative to the outercircumferential surface of the gasket, and wherein each of the firstnozzle water supply ports and each of the second nozzle water supplyports protrudes radially inward relative to the outer circumferentialsurface of the gasket.
 16. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein atleast two first nozzles among the plurality of nozzles are located atthe first conduit portion, and wherein the two first nozzles comprise: afirst upper nozzle configured to spray water downward into the drum; anda first lower nozzle located vertically below the first upper nozzle andconfigured to spray water upward into the drum.
 17. The washing machineof claim 16, wherein at least two second nozzles among the plurality ofnozzles are located at the second conduit portion, and wherein the twosecond nozzles comprise: a second upper nozzle configured to spray waterdownward into the drum; and a second lower nozzle located verticallybelow the second upper nozzle and configured to spray water upward intothe drum.
 18. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofnozzles comprise: a first upper nozzle located at a first side of thedrum with respect to a vertical plane passing through a center of thedrum, the first upper nozzle being configured to spray water downwardtoward a second side of the drum opposite to the first side of the drumwith respect to the vertical plane; a second upper nozzle located at thesecond side of the drum and configured to spray water downward towardthe first side of the drum; a first lower nozzle located at the firstside of the drum vertically below the first upper nozzle and the secondupper nozzle, the first lower nozzle being configured to spray waterupward toward the second side of the drum; and a second lower nozzlelocated at the second side of the drum vertically below the first uppernozzle and the second upper nozzle, the second lower nozzle beingconfigured to spray water upward toward the first side of the drum. 19.The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the gasket defines a seatinggroove that is recessed from the outer circumferential surface of thegasket and that extends along a circumferential direction of the gasket,and wherein the first conduit portion and the second conduit portion aredisposed in the seating groove.
 20. The washing machine of claim 19,wherein at least one of the plurality of port insertion conduitsprotrudes from the seating groove.